Roslin Nursery

A Victorian house, a large garden and a separate room for babies to sleep give Roslin Nursery a clear physical character. This Staines setting cares for children from 3 months to 5 years and has 57 places in total. Its appeal lies in the detail: space for quieter baby play, outdoor areas attached to younger children's rooms and a gradual move towards more structured preschool activities.

At its 23 June 2025 inspection, Ofsted rated Roslin Good overall and judged safeguarding arrangements effective. The same visit identified two practical improvements: staff needed to give children more consistent opportunities to manage simple care tasks themselves, and to help older children manage their behaviour more consistently. Those points matter alongside the grade. They concern how independently children can participate in everyday nursery life.

Full days, morning sessions and afternoon sessions are offered, with weekday opening throughout the year apart from bank holidays and the Christmas closure. That gives families different attendance patterns rather than a single booking format.

Rooms and Ages

Buttercups Room, for children aged approximately 3 months to 2 years, combines separate areas for quieter and more active play with a monitored sleep room and its own garden, while sensory toys, conversation and singing shape its activities. The separation of sleep from play is useful for babies whose rest times differ from those of other children. Their day can follow a familiar home routine rather than depend on everyone resting together.

Daisies Room serves children aged 2 to 3 years, with daylight, access to a dedicated outdoor area and activities involving paint, water, sand, cooking, music and movement. The emphasis shifts towards doing more independently. Sorting by shape and size introduces mathematical ideas through handling objects, while songs and stories give children opportunities to listen and join in.

Bluebells Room generally serves ages 3 to 5, with entry from approximately 2 years and 9 months according to development, and combines more structured play with imaginative role play, teamwork and supported computer use. Moving rooms is considered with parents and staff rather than treated simply as a birthday milestone. Children make several visits to the next group so that readiness can be assessed before the move.

Learning and Activities

The Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) provides the framework for learning through play, including communication, movement, relationships, early reading and mathematics. It is the common early-years foundation; Roslin puts it into practice through books, musical instruments, creative materials, bikes and climbing equipment. These give children different ways to explore an idea, whether by talking, making something or moving their bodies.

In June 2025, children made marks in sand using fingers and sticks, supporting early writing through hands-on mark-making. Older children practised writing their names and recognising letter sounds. Babies and toddlers selected board books, handled the pages and explored pictures. These were different stages of literacy rather than one activity applied across every age group.

Music also offered younger children a way to make choices. In June 2025, babies selected an object from a bag to indicate which song they wanted, and staff repeated words to support early communication. The useful detail is the child's participation: a baby could influence the activity before being able to explain that choice in a sentence.

Outdoor and Community Life

The large garden and outdoor play area extend the nursery day beyond the house. Dedicated outdoor space for Buttercups and Daisies gives the younger groups environments attached to their own stage of development. Bikes and climbing equipment add opportunities for movement alongside the quieter indoor materials.

In June 2025, the herb garden included labelled planters where children grew and tended mint and basil. Planting combined handling small objects with exploring living things. It also gave children something to return to and care for, rather than an activity finished in a single sitting.

Relationships and Communication

The Key Person approach assigns a familiar adult to understand a child's interests and care needs, usually including feeding, changing and comforting. That adult also helps the child develop relationships with other staff and children. Continuity has a practical purpose here: information about home routines can inform both care and planned activities.

Each child has a Learning Journal covering interests, development and significant achievements. Parents can contribute and access it through their keyworker, so experiences outside nursery can become part of the account of a child's learning. This is a useful counterpart to conversations about the day, especially when a new interest or skill first emerges at home.

In June 2025, communication with families included conversations each day, email and parent meetings. Staff also took account of children's home experiences when planning their next learning steps. The combination offered both immediate exchanges and opportunities for a fuller discussion, rather than relying on one form of communication.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

At the June 2025 inspection, Ofsted found that children needing additional help were supported through individual plans, work with parents and professionals, and language activities in small groups for children with speech delays or English as an additional language. This is a concrete account of support at that visit, rather than a general promise about every child's experience.

In June 2025, staff sometimes completed straightforward care tasks for children, such as cleaning their noses, instead of allowing them to try. Reminders about behavioural expectations were also inconsistent at times, interrupting older children's activities. For parents, the relevant issue is how adults balance reassurance and assistance with opportunities to practise independence.

Home feeding routines continue for babies, and parents work with staff on weaning. An on-site cook makes food fresh each day, including breakfast, snacks, lunch and tea; menus are reviewed seasonally and follow a four-week rotation, and the nursery's dietary policy covers medical needs as well as preferences.

Sessions and Attendance

Roslin is on Rookery Road, Staines, TW18 1BT. It opens Monday to Friday from 8am to 6pm and operates across the year, closing for bank holidays and during the Christmas-to-New-Year period. Those closures belong in family childcare planning even where a child attends a regular weekday pattern.

The attendance choices are Full Day, Morning Session and Afternoon Session. They allow families to choose a whole-day pattern or a shorter part of the day. Contact is by telephone on 01784 462028 or email at info@roslinnursery.co.uk; visits can be arranged by telephone.

Registration involves a non-refundable registration charge and a deposit, which is returned when the child leaves. Invoices are issued monthly in advance, and leaving requires one month's written notice. Current prices come in the nursery's written quotation. The notice period deserves attention when planning a move or the start of school, because it affects the end of the childcare arrangement.

Funding and Paid Extras

In June 2025, Roslin received funding for early education for children aged nine months, two, three and four years. That dated participation is relevant for families considering funded childcare alongside paid attendance. A written quotation should form the basis of budgeting for the proposed booking pattern.

• Practising independence. In June 2025, adults sometimes took over simple care tasks, and older children did not always receive consistent behavioural reminders. During a visit, ask how staff now help children attempt self-care and return to activities after a disruption.
• Moving between rooms. Bluebells can accept children from approximately 2 years and 9 months, and room changes involve visits to the next group. Ask how those visits and the decision about readiness would work for your child.
• Funding and everyday costs. Funding participation covered several age groups in June 2025. Ask for one written breakdown covering funded attendance, paid hours, food and non-food supplies for your proposed pattern.
• Ending the booking. A non-refundable registration charge, a refundable deposit and one month's written notice shape the financial commitment. Keep the notice deadline in mind if childcare will end when school begins.

Roslin suits families seeking either full days or morning and afternoon sessions, with care extending from infancy to preschool age. Its strongest practical features are the separate baby sleep space, gardens for the younger rooms and a key person who links care with children's interests. The Learning Journal also gives parents a clear way to contribute to that picture.

The June 2025 Good judgement provides a dated assessment of quality, with useful detail beneath it: sensory exploration, early literacy and individual support. The improvement points deserve equal weight. Families who value growing independence should make the nursery's approach to self-care and behavioural guidance part of their visit discussion.